Today is International E-Waste Day 2021. This initiative was started by the WEEE Forum in 2018, and aims to improve reuse, recovery and recycling rates of used appliances and devices. E-waste continues to grow year on year and needs urgently to be addressed. As well as increased demand for devices, this growth is also attributed to shorter lifecycles of electronic devices.
The COVID-19 pandemic with its lockdowns and changes to working patterns has exacerbated this problem, with an increase in demand for tech devices in the home. A study for the European parliament reported a 4.6% increase in demand for computers and tablets in the year to December 2020. With estimates that only 17.4% of e-waste was properly recycled in 2020, the extent of the problem becomes clear.
At Laptops4Learning we are addressing this problem by repairing and reusing redundant tech from business and other organisations to tackle digital inequality and improve the life-chances of the disadvantaged. This extends the lifecycles of these devices, saving them from becoming e-waste. Over the course of the pandemic we have repaired and refurbished more than 2000 devices to improve people’s lives, and saved over 5000kgs of electronic devices from e-waste. This has also meant preventing about 400,000kgs of CO2 emissions and avoiding the use of yet more of the earth’s precious resources to produce new devices.
On this International E-Waste Day, reassess what you do with your redundant tech – by having it repaired and reused through Laptops4Learning, you will both help the environment and bring digital inclusion to those in need. The time for action is now.
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